Feed-water heater and purifier.



Pate nted Sept. 4, 1900.

T. euumua. FEED WATER HEATER AND PUHIFIER.

(Application fi1ed Jan. 13. 1900.)

(No Model.)

m: "aims PETERS co, mom-mum. WASHINGYON. q

iTnD STATES PATENT Fries.

THOMAS GUNNING, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,238, dated September 4, 1900.

Application filed January 13, 1900. Serial No. 1,310. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS GUNNING, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvem cuts in Feed-Water Heaters and Purifiers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in feed-water heaters and purifiers.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and highly-efficient means for bringing feed-water up to boiler temperature, precipitating all scale-forming particles, reducing them to sludge, and finally separating the latter from the water by filtration, the water being then fed to the boilerat practically boiler temperature.

' It is a common expedient to heat feed-water bypassing it through a heater into which exhaust-steam is supplied. Water is thus usually heated up to from 150 to 210 and at this temperature is pumped into the boiler. The pump is usually intermediate the exhaust-heater and the boiler. It is well known that the heating of water to this temperature through the agency of the exhaust-heater is insuificient to precipitate all foreign particles. By my invention the water after being pumped from the exhaust-heater and before being discharged into the boiler is passed through a steam-chamber, wherein the live steam will raise its temperature to 330 without any appreciable loss of. heat within the boiler. The water after being raised to this temperature is discharged into the boiler at not less than 8 or 10 of boiler temperature.

The invention comprises a steam-chamber in which live steam is contained, the feedwater pipe leading from the feed-pump being tortuously arranged within the steam-chamber and then carried into a filter. The feedwater beingheated to boilertemperature when within the pipe in the steam-chamber, all scaleforming particles are precipitated, and when the water is discharged into the filter and is caused to pass down through the filtering-bed these particles, being then reduced to sludge,

will not pass down into such bed beyond a short distance-about one-half inch. From the filter the water passes to the boiler at practically boiler temperature. \Vhen space will permit the superheater is located above a boiler or boilers and receives its supply of steam from the latterand also from the steammain of a battery of boilers. lVhen this arrangement is employed, water of condensation within the superheater will fall bygravity into the boilers.

The invention. will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing the figure is a View showing my improvement applied to boilers with the steam chamber mounted above the latter, parts being shown in section and others in elevation.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a steam-chamber, which is shown as being horizontally disposed above two boilers a, Which latter constitute but part of a battery of boilers, (not shown,) from which leads a common overhead steam-main a. The steamchamber A is shown as connected by valved pipes a and a with the boilers a and steammain a. In this way steam is supplied to the steam-chamber both from the boilers a and the steam-main. The chamber A is independent of the ordinary steam-domes and is placed transversely to the latter.

B designates the feed-water-supply pipe which leads from the feed pump. (Not shown.) It is extended into the steam-chamber A at one end of the latter, being passed through a stuffing-box in the end head I), and after being carried back and forth in a tortuous manner within the steam-chamber is carried outwardly through a second stuffing-box in the head I) and is extended into the upper portion of a filter C, that portion of the pipe within the filter being formed with numerous perforations 1). Between a valve b in this feed-water pipe B and the steam chamber a downwardly extended branch pipe b is carried to the lower end of the filter O, that portion of the branch pipe within the filter being formed with perforations b. Within this branch pipe 11 are two valves b b.

The filter O is in cylindrical form and is mounted on legs d. The filtering-bed b may be composed of any suitable material. The support (1 of this filtering-bed consists of a metallic header d preferably of iron or steel, having numerous perforations therein, and a continuous peripheral flange d which is secured by rivets to the filter-casing. Upon this header and within the flange thereof rests a second perforated plate d preferably wire-gauzing. This is held in place by a ring d, which fits within the flange d and is secured by set-screws to the header (Z In one side of the filter-casing, in line above the support d is a hand-hole 6, while a second hand-hole e is formed beneath the support. Leading from the filter, beneath the support, is a valved pipe E, by which the water is carried to the boilers. A second valved pipe e leads from the filter-casing from a point above the filtering-bed to a sewer. Into the bottom of the filter-casing opens a valved drainpipe 6 In practice the valves in the branch pipe 5 and the valve in the sewer-connecting pipe 6 are closed, while the valves in the main feed-pipe B and the boiler-connecting pipe E are open. The Water forced from the feedpump passing through that part of pipe D located within the steam-chamber is heated or raised to boiler temperature, thereby precipitating all foreign substances contained in the Water and reducing the same to sludge. This passes with the water out through the perforations in pipe B into the top of filter O, and as the water passes downwardly through the filtering-bed the sludge is retained within the upper portion of the latter and does not pass down more than one-half inch. The water after being thoroughly filtered and passing through the support (Z is conveyed to the boilers through pipe E, being discharged into the latter at practically boiler temperature. At most the Water from the time it passes from the steam-chamber and, until it reaches the boilers does not lose more than four degrees of temperature. In this way I am enabled to supply the battery of boilers with pure water heated to practically the temperature of the boilers.

To clean the filter, the valve in the pipe E is closed and that in the pipe 6 leadi'ngto the sewer is open, as are also the valves in the branch pipe 12 the valve 19 in the feedwater pipe being closed. This causes the water to enter the filter beneath the filteringbed and to travel upwardly through the latter, effecting a reverse agitation of the filtering composition, resulting in the passage of sludge out through the sewer-connecting pipe e Any collection within the filter below the filtering-bed may be drained off through pipe 6 I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a boiler or boilers, and an overhead steam-main, of a steamchamber horizontally disposed above said boiler or boilers and intermediate of the latter and said main, pipes connecting said steam-chamber with said boiler or boilers, pipes connecting said steam-chamber with said steam-main, and a feed-Water pipe extending into said steam chamber and arranged tortuously therein, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a boiler orboilers, and an overhead steam-main, of a steamchamber horizontally disposed above said boiler or boilers and intermediate of the latter and said main, pipes connecting said steam-chamber with said boiler or boilers, pipes connecting said steam-chamber with said steam-main, a feed-water pipe extending into and passed through said steam-chamber, a filter into which said feed-water pipe opens at one end, a filtering-bed located therein, and a pipe leading from the other end of said filter to said boiler or boilers, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses I THOMAS GUNNING. WVitnesses:

GRACE O. RAYMOND, ROBERT C. TOTTEN. 

